


A Boy Who's Afraid of Men

by heavenlydevil



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Borderline Personality Disorder, Depression, F/M, Guilt, Hospitals, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Mental Health Issues, Nightmares, No Smut, Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Self-Hatred, Slow Burn, hopefully
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-02-21
Packaged: 2018-05-20 13:32:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6008119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heavenlydevil/pseuds/heavenlydevil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She knocks on the hospital room.</p><p>There's sounds from inside and then the door opens and there he is.</p><p>Nathan Prescott.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Truce

Max steps inside the hopital, butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She's nervous, but she feels like she has to do this. For Chloe. And she's curious and wants to talk to him.

The place inside is clean and looks it has been been tried to decorate with some plants and art, but honestly, it just looks sad. There's doors with numbers on them and people shuffling around. She asks the room number from receptionist behind the desk who gives it to her, looking surprised. Max feels her curious eyes follow her down the hallway. 

She goes past what appears to be living room of some kind, with couch and armchairs and TV. There's more people watching some kind of comedy, but nobody is laughing except for woman who appears to be one of the nurses. 

She reaches the room where he is and takes a deep breath. She hopes this doesn't go badly...

She knocks.

There's sounds from inside the room and then the room opens and there he is.

Nathan Prescott.

\--  
Nathan doesn't expect anyone to visit him. Victoria was there yesterday and his family has pretty much dumped him into the hospital, only visiting once to bring his stuff. So he's surpised when the somebody tentatively knocks. He blinks.

Maybe it's one of the nurses?

He gets up from his bed and opens the door. And almost gasps out loud.

Max Caulfield is standing outside his hospital room.  
\--  
She stands there, feeling awkward as he gapes at her. 

"Ummmmm.... Can I come in?" She asks finally when he doesn't seem to say anything anytime soon. 

He only nods stiffly, still gaping. He steps aside to let her in and she looks around the room. It's filled with stuff, though furniture is scarce. There's bed, nightstand, closet and chair by the window but also half-opened boxes and plastic bags about to burst littered on the floor. The nightstand has books and glass half-filled with water. The bed is unmade.

He sits on the bed and Max goes to the chair. There's silence again. Nathan is looking at his hands, he looks tired. There's dark bruises under his eyes. He looks resigned, somehow.

"How are you?" She asks gently and he looks up, looking surprised. 

He studies her intently, like he's trying to figure her out. Finally he says, "Why are you asking me that?"

She blinks. "Because I want to know?"

"But why?"

She opens her mouth then closes it. Why is she asking him? Why is she even here? Would Chloe hate her for this?

Maybe, but she's dead. And Max wants to understand Nathan. She knows it's not all his fault, that Jefferson manipulated him. And in that another timeline, in his voice mail, he seemed so sad and scared and... sorry.

She simply shrugs. 

"'If you're just trying to be nice before you torture me, cut it off and get on with it," he says.

She shakes her head quickly. She understand why he thinks that, but it still makes her sad. 

"I'm not here to do that," she says gently.

"Why the fuck not? I...." His voice cracks. "I deserve that much."

"I don't think you do."

"Why don't you hate me? I'm a bad person, a fucking monster!" His voice is rising and he's getting agitated, running his fingers thorough his hair. "I killed her. And Kate... Rachel... Everything I did..." He sniffs.

She stays silent and watches while tears start slowly drip from his eyes. Finally he looks at her.

"You're good, Max. So good. I don't deserve to be around somebody like you. I..." He slides from the bed to the floor in front of her.

"I'm s-so sorry, Max... I'm so sorry." He's full on sobbing now, red in face and snotty nose. He's curled up in a ball by her feet and looks so small. It reminds her of the time Warren beat him up, when he just laid there and sobbed. Except now he's on his stomach, knees tucked underneath him and arms crossed. He looks like he's praying, like he's praying to her. Like she's Goddness.

He's mumbling to himself but he quiets down when she reaches her hand towards him. He flinches and closes his eyes. He looks like he's preparing himself. Steeling himself. She doesn't know how many times he's had to do that. 

She puts her hand through his hair and strokes. He opens his eyes and turns his head up to her, in surprise. Tears are still flowing from his eyes. She smiles to him, sadly. "It's okay," she says. "I forgive you."


	2. Tiredness and cheeseburgers

Beep. Beep.

Max's eyes slowly open. She feels sluggish, tired. Not at all ready for the day. She swipes her phone, turning the alarm off. Sunlight is coming through the windows and flicks of dust float through the air. There's sounds from bathroom, girls doing their make-up and washing up. 

She looks at her room, lit in golden morning light until it becomes less golden and more of bright glow of early afternoon and the noises have vanished. 

Everyone's gone to class now. She should too.

She gets up, but only to go to bathroom. She stays on a toilet for a long time, sitting there until she feels like she might fall asleep there. She sits with her eyes closed, head leaning against her knees. 

She does eventually leave the bathroom, returning to her room and going straight to bed.

She doesn't get up until lunch-time, when Kate comes by.

"I thought you had already left for class when I didn't see you in the morning," she says and hands her sandwich.

Max carefully opens the wrapping and slowly starts to eat it.

"Are you ill?" She puts her hand on her forehead, and it feels nice. Warm and gentle.

Kate frowns. "Well, you don't feel hot. Maybe fever hasn't hit you yet."

"I don't feel sick. Just... tired." She doesn't, there's no cough, no drippy noses, achy throats, nothing. Just tiredness that doesn't seem to want to leave her.

"I know that feeling." She says that with sincerity and grim honesty.

Max believes her.

Kate stays until she's almost late for class, hurrying out of the room but seeming hesitant to leave.

"Just rest, Max. You'll feel better later," she says from the doorway.

Max isn't sure if she believes her this time.

She does feel energetic enough to get her laptop to her bed and watch some cat videos. She watches video after video, staying there until she can hear girls returning from their classes. 

Then she decides to get up and pay Nathan a visit again, but first she stops by McDonald's to pick up some food. It feels too hard to go to Two Whales and see Joyce. She's not sure what he likes, but is sure that everybody likes a cheeseburgers so she gets one for herself, one for him. She also picks up apple pie, because it always makes her feel comfy and home-y and she wants him to feel like that. If he doesn't like it, she can eat it.

Even though she feels more chipper, she still feels tired after the visit to McDonald's and she sits on the bench and puts her head on her hands. 

She stays like that until she hears the bus coming.

When she's sitting on the bus with two warm bags, she realizes she didn't ask if she can bring him food. She hopes she can, otherwise she'll have to eat two burgers and apple pie all by herself and then she'll probably burst.

Turns out she can, luckily. She asks the nurse, who smiles and nods though she does check the bags.

When he sees the bags, he pretty much drools and he almost snatches hamburger from her hand when she hands it to him.

"Oh my god," he moans around his first mouthful. She makes a face and starts to eat her own. "I love you," he says, then seems to realize what he said and looks embarassed. She chooses to focus on her hamburger and not think about it.

"How did you know how much I love these? Did Victoria tell you?" He asks when they're done.

"Oh, no. I haven't seen her actually." She shrugs. "I just thought you might like it. Hospital food must suck."

"It does, you have no idea." He pauses. "Thank you, I appreciate it."

"It's no problem." She smiles at him.

"Oh, I also got you apple pie." She remembers and rummages through the McDonald's bag. When she presents it to him, he squints.

"That's not apple pie," he says but takes it carefully.

"It's McDonald's apple pie. It's really good, taste it. But be careful, it's really hot."

He scoffs and takes a bite. She grimaces.

"Ow, ow!" 

Max rolls her eyes. She should've figured. "What did I tell you?"

He swallows and fans his mouth with his hand.

"Fine, fine, you were right," he says when his mouth apparently doesn't burn anymore.

"You have to blow it."

He grins and she realizes too late what's coming. "That's what she said." 

"Oh my god, you did just not," she says and puts her face on her hands. When she looks up, he's blowing on his apple-pie but looks satisfied with himself. She scoffs. Smart-ass.

When it's cooled down enough, he takes a bite. Then another. And another. Soon it's gone and he looks full and happy. She grins.

"So did you like it?" She asks with teasing tone in her voice.

He hesitates. "It was... good."

"C'mon, you loved it!" 

He rolls his eyes. "Fine, okay, I might've had." 

She only grins happily at him. 

Soon there's silence. He's resting with his eyes closed on the bed, but not sleeping.

"So what is it like to be here?" She asks.

He snorts. "Boring."

She thinks, looking around the room. She spots his camera on top of the closet, discarded there.

"Why don't you go outside and take some pictures?" He goes stiff and opens his eyes. "You're allowed to go outside, right?" She adds.

He slowly nods but still looks stiff. "Yeah, I am, on limited basis and as long as somebody is with me."

"So?" She pushes him.

"So..." He sighs. "I'm... after what happened with Jefferson... I just don't really wanna photograph anymore, to be honest."

She didn't think of that. "O-oh..." Stupid, stupid. Of course he wouldn't want to. 

"I'm sorry I mentioned it," she says. 

He shrugs. "It's okay."

There's silence for a while and she tries to not to feel awkward.

"Do you want to talk about him?" She mentally punches herself. Way to go in not making things more awkward.

"Not really," he says but at least he doesn't seem too upset, maybe slightly uncomfortable.

She nods. "That's okay. If you want to though, you can. I'm here." She should talk about something else, but she wants him to know that. That she's here for him.

But in a way, she's relieved. Jefferson traumatized her as well and she can't talk anybody about it. She wants to talk to him, but she can't. Maybe someday she will, though she isn't sure he will believe her.

"Yeah."

"Anyway." She decides to leave him alone and change the subject. "What do you do here, anyway?"

He shrugs and seems happy about change of subject. "I read, mostly. I went once to watch TV but I got such a dirty looks that I didn't want go back there. I still get them when I go to eat, but it's not like I can stop eating." He lets out dry laugh.

She makes a face. "Ouch." That must suck, having everyone to hate him. Even though she's been bullied, there's always been at least few people nice to her so she hasn't felt alone. And she has her family. Somehow she doubts his family is very supportive.

He only shrugs. "It's not like I can blame them. Besides, I'm used to it." His tone is casual, even with the subject. 

"Still. It's not okay," she says. She wants him to know that.

He shrugs again and seems to be done with this subject as well. Silence. Max thinks about what she should talk about. She doesn't want to get in too depressing subjects again, she managed to do that twice already. 

She ponders until voice interrupts. "What did you do today?"

She blinks, she did not except that. She looks at him and he looks... slightly flustered. And maybe surprised? Like he didn't except himself to ask that. 

She decides not to question him, as to not to make him more flustered. And she is somewhat flattered, it's not everyday Prescott asks about your day. She takes it that he's starting to like her. Or maybe he's just bored and wants to talk to somebody. Still. He hasn't been hostile towards her at all. That's progress. 

"Hmmmmm. Not really much. I didn't go to the class," she says.

"Skipping class, you? Am I rubbing off on you?" He grins and waggles his eyebrows.

She laughs at him. "You wish. Nah, I just didn't feel like it. I felt really tired and slept most of the day."

"Isn't that unusual? I mean, aren't you usually out and about, doing your things? Taking pictures, getting into people's business."

She shrugs. She hasn't given much thought to it but now that he mentions, it is unusual. 

It's very unusual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, new chapter! This is probably the most I've written in such short time like ever. I'm so proud of myself. 
> 
> So, I put some foreshadowing in this. Two things, actually. One is really obvious, one is, well, not as obvious. Maybe. Idk. Maybe you all figured them out instantly and I'm here blabbering like a fool. Moooving on. 
> 
> I wanna thank trecoolio who I've recently befriended over Caulscott and writing and who has been awesomely friendly and supportive to me!! <3 
> 
> I had really big craving of hamburgers during writing the beginning of this chapter and my mom helpfully suggested I not write about them, but I just felt so bad for poor Nate and wanted to give him cheeseburger and apple-pie because hospital food sucks and he's been through much. Though comfort food is not a good thing, seriously, that is why I'm fat. Because I eat my feelings. Gosh darnit.
> 
> *rolls away*

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written in a while I'm so nervous... Anyway, if you read this, I hope you liked it! 
> 
> I know it's similar to The Sense of Me in a way that Max visits Nathan in hospital also, but I asked if the author minded me posting this and they said they didn't, so yeah.
> 
> Tags should apply to later chapters, but they also might change since I haven't written them yet.
> 
> My tumblr is minttusuklaa.tumblr.com come talk to me abt Caulscott, Life Is Strange, anything!


End file.
